The Power of Three
by fairytalefantasistx3
Summary: Three days. Three dares. Three lessons of torture for Lily Evans; in the shape of James Potter, of course.
1. Monday

**The Power of Three**

1. Monday

Nobody, probably in the history of the universe, likes Monday mornings. Fact. Gryffindor students in fifth year at Hogwarts however, _hate _Monday mornings. And Wednesday mornings, _and _Friday mornings too… all because that's when we have History of Magic. Nobody likes to start their day with a lecture about goblins, least of all sleep deprived teenagers.

I'm one of the first to arrive in the classroom and choose a desk towards the back.

"Lily! Fancy seeing you here!"

I don't have to look up to know who that obnoxious voice belongs to.

"Yes, Potter. Surprising, isn't it? That we'd see each other in this class, as we have since the start of the year," I say, writing my name on my piece of parchment. I pray for somebody, _anybody, _to come and sit down next to me before Potter –

"This seat taken?" He gestures at the empty seat next to me. Too late.

"Yes, and this one will be too if you sit down."

"Really original, Lils." I look up for the first time, and see he's rolling his eyes. Idiot. "I thought you could do better than that. Come on. Make me hurt."

"Well, if you say so…"

"LILLY! I didn't mean literally! _Ouch! _You're lucky I'm in love with you." He rubs his red cheek. I'm not surprised to find I don't feel a smidgen of sympathy.

"Lucky? Really? I don't think so; I'd say more ridiculously _un_lucky." I refuse to believe he's in love with me anyway. I believe it's more of a wanting the thing you can't have scenario. James Potter could have practically any girl in the whole school – except for myself, apparently the only one he wants. Believe me, I'm baffled as to why any girl would actually want him.

Professor Binns floats out of the blackboard to begin the lesson. I look around the room for one of my friends, annoyed. Huh. They're all sat together at the back. I catch Alice's eye and she winks at me, eyeing James. I glare at her; she knows I can't stand him. Hell, the whole school knows I can't stand him. Even Potter must be slowly catching on.

James looks around too before smirking at me. "Looks like your _girlies _want me to sit with you."

"Yeah, well 'my girlies' are going to get a good talking to later."

"Ooh. Can I 'have a good talking to?'" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. James Potter could make a cup of Pumpkin Juice sound suggestive.

"You're an idiot."

"Does that mean I can sit down?"

"Does 'you're an idiot' usually mean 'hey there, take a seat!' Maybe it does to you Potter, but not to the normal people."

Binns takes out his scrolls of parchment and begins his lecture. Many people put their heads down on their desks, and I swear I can hear snoring already. The ones who aren't yet sleeping look at James curiously. How embarrassing. They're staring at me too; maybe I was talking louder than I had intended to. Talking to James sometimes makes me raise my voice.

"Fine, sit down," I whisper through gritted teeth.

James looks as if I've just told him Christmas has come early. He pulls back the chair and it scrapes along the floor…more stares.

"There…isn't this nice?" he says, edging his chair closer to mine. I push my own up against the wall.

"If by nice you mean excruciating, then sure." I continue to scribble down notes as I speak. I'm living proof that girls can multi-task.

He peers at my parchment. "Wow. You're actually…taking notes?

"Yes Potter, I am."

"But…why?"

"Because I, unlike some, would like to _pass _my exams."

He chuckles. "Just this once, I dare you to not take notes. Just for this lesson. Will that kill you?"

I make a disgusted noise and continue to write down the key points of Binns' lecture. There's no denying that the man – or ghost, I should say – is boring. But I still have to listen. "I'm not going to stop taking notes because James Potter dares me to."

"Is Lily Evans a…chicken?"

I don't feel the need to justify myself to him…

…until he starts making chicken noises under his breath.

"No, I am _not _a chicken."

"You have to do what I dare you to do then, Lilykins." I try to stab his hand with my quill (for calling me 'Lilykins', mostly. But also just for the heck of it) but he moves his hand off the table. "…even though this dare is so pathetically lame."

"N O spells no. Surely even you know that, Potter."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why not?"

All the 'why's and the questions in quick succession make my head spin. "Because, Potter…"

"Yes?" he prompts me as I pause.

"One, dares are immature – "

"Maturity's over rated."

"Two, because I actually want to take notes."

"Now that's just ridiculous – "

"AND THREE, I don't have to do what you say, because YOU'RE AN IDIOT."

"Yeah, as you keep saying."

There's silence for a minute. But of course James feels the need to break it.

"Lily?"

"Potter."

"Doesn't that sound nice…? Lily Potter…"

"No actually, it makes me want to throw up. Did you want something?"

"Nah, not really. I just thought…no, doesn't matter…"

I grit my teeth. "What?"

"It's just that I'd never have thought it; Lily Evans, a chicken!"

"I am not a chicken!"

"Prove it."

Now I'm angry. I put a full stop at the end of my sentence before throwing the quill in front of me. It soars over heads and through Professor Binns before hitting the blackboard, probably broken.

Damn. That was an expensive quill. And I just did what Potter told me to do. Well, technically he didn't tell me to throw my quill at the black board, but still.

"LOOK POTTER! I stopped taking NOTES! Are you HAPPY now?"

My outburst surprisingly makes Professor Binns stop talking and look at me. Or maybe not so surprisingly; as I said, I tend to raise my voice whilst talking to Potter.

"Miss Avins, I won't have shouting like that in my classroom. I may be dead, but I am _not_ deaf. Go stand outside."

The very first time I've been told to leave the classroom by a teacher; and it's all Potter's fault.

"Ooh, tut tut, Avins!" James whispers as I stand up, red faced. The entire class is staring at me. Again. "I guess I'll see you later…"

Terrific.

* * *

**A/N I really shouldn't have started this story. I have numerous other things I should be doing right now, but this started off as a one-shot and sort of grew to a three-shot. Chapter two will be Wednesday's lesson, and chapter three will be Friday's. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter! Just press that little review button down there…**

**Oh, and if anybody's wondering where the Marauders were, don't worry :) We'll be seeing them later.**


	2. Wednesday

2. Wednesday

"Ah, Lily. How lovely it is to see your beautiful face on this dull and dreary morning!"

Ugh. It's Potter, of course, flanked by his ridiculous cronies. Does he ever go anywhere alone? I know _girls_ are renowned for travelling in packs, though I'm the exception. I'm walking alone to History of Magic – joy – because my friends are still eating their breakfast. Maybe if they woke up earlier, they'd actually leave the Great Hall on time for once… anyway. Potter is still staring at me.

"I wish I could say the same for _your _face, Potter." I continue walking, and hope they'll leave me in peace. Potter falls in to step with me, and his friends – or should I say followers – do the same. Remus grimaces at me apologetically, as if to say 'I'm sorry my idiot of a friend bothers you'. I've seen that look a lot.

I've been managing to avoid Potter since Monday's lesson. I've found it results in fewer headaches when I don't have to speak with him often.

"Ouch, James," says Sirius Black, patting Potter mockingly on the back. Potter looks unperturbed, but by now he must be used to my put-downs.

"Why must you be so very cutting, Lily? All I've ever done is be nice to you." I snort derisively – nice? He thinks annoying the heck out of me is 'nice'? His mind is more warped than I'd thought.

"Maybe I'll be nicer to you if you're less nice to me."

Potter looks confused. "…what?" I have to admit, even to me it sounded a little strange as I was saying it. "So I should act a dick towards you?"

Now I come to think of it, that's not exactly what I want. "Well…no, I just…"

Thankfully, Black makes me not have continue by saying, "Mate. Don't ask girls to explain what they mean. It only ends in more confusion."

I second that.

I push open the door to the classroom and hold it open for Potter to follow me through. Damn. That was a civil thing to do. Now he'll think I want to start snogging him. Which, believe me, I don't. I've imagined snogging Potter before, but – _wait. _Did I just say that to myself? I've never imagined anything more than slapping Potter in the face – which was far more pleasurable than the snogging. Even though I didn't imagine the snogging at all anyway. Honestly.

This is ridiculous. And it's making me imagine kissing Potter. And it's the very first time I've done so. I promise.

"Lily?" I hear Black say, startling me. "Are you going to move from the doorway, or will I have to get James to lift you out the way?"

I do move away, and Potter looks disappointed. Does he actually believe I would've let him lift me out of the way anyway?

I look around the empty classroom and wonder what to do. I can't exactly just sit down with Potter's gang; I think they'd look at me as if I were insane. Not to mention the fact that I'd rather poke out my eyeballs than do that. I'll just sit down on my own…maybe Potter won't follow me…

He follows me.

"I may as well keep you company," he says cheerfully, sitting down into the seat next to the one I just sat down in. "They won't mind missing out on my company again this lesson." How big _is _his ego?

"But I'm sure they'd enjoy your company much more than I would."

"Maybe, but we never got to finish our game of dares. That unfortunate incident where you were sent out of the room made a bit of an abrupt end to things."

"Forget it, Potter. I am _not _doing another of your stupid dares." I take my things out of my bag and wonder why I haven't moved away from him yet. I suppose he'd only follow me if I did. Then I'd move again, and he'd follow me, then I'd move again… that's a game that would get boring very quickly. I stay in my seat.

"Well, you've already done one. Congratulations, well done, you succeeded, blah blah blah. Your turn to dare me. That's how it works, Lils."

I immediately perk up. _I_ get to dare _him_? I have to say, it is an interesting prospect. I can dare him to do _anything. _I could dare him not to speak a word to me for a month. Wow. _Yes!_

"James Potter, I dare you to…" I'm having second thoughts. Damn those stupid second thoughts. I _want _to not have to listen to Potter for a whole month! Don't I? I suppose it can keep me entertained, thinking of comebacks. And it's not like I hate hearing good things being said about me, even by Potter. _What am I thinking? _Haven't I always said I'd love it if I never had to talk to Potter ever again? But then…then life would be boring. _AGAIN – what am I THINKING? _Life would be bliss without Potter's "is that something in your eye? Oh, it's just a sparkle" lines every five minutes, without his constant jabberings in my ear, without his cocky grin. Right? It would. Probably. Why do I keep arguing with _myself_? I. Hate. Potter. End of story.

"…dare you to not speak to me for – " I can't do it. Potter entertains me. That's the only reason. " – a minute."

Wow. What a waste of a dare. Potter's snort clearly shows he agrees. "That's it? It will be annoying having you sit right next to me without being able to utter a word, but I'll do it."

I groan silently. I could've at least said 'this lesson'. Then I could've avoided him until Friday. "Shut up, then," I say.

He's been silent for five seconds. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. I'm actually _bored. _All I can hear is the noise of all the people taking their seats, and talking, because _they _didn't dare the only person sat near them to not talk. I want to minute to be over so he can entertain me with his stupid comments again…

"There! That was a minute!" he says eventually, speaking proudly as if he'd been silent for the entire day. "When Patricia Quigg came in with that stupid scarf on, I almost pointed it out to you, because I knew you'd laugh at it. But then I would've failed. Look at it, now. Isn't it the most awful thing you've ever seen?" How does he know that's the type of thing he should point out to me, the type of scarf I hate? (It's pale pink and has fringing. Enough said.) _How? _And why the heck do I like the fact that he knows it?

"Yeah, it's pretty disgusting," I find myself answering absent-mindedly.

He looks pleased. "She even has the matching hat," he says, lowering his voice as Patricia looks around the classroom. She smiles at James and flutters her eyelashes.

"No!" I reply, trying to ignore the urge to go strangle her with her bloody scarf. Merlin knows why – why I had the urge I mean, not why I repressed it.

"Oh, she does," James replied gravely. "I saw it. It has the same fringing – _all the way around the brim!" _I'm actually joking around. With James Potter. About a hat and scarf. "And I _think _she even has the gloves." …and gloves.

And we do _this _for the rest of the lesson. Talk civilly, I mean, and joke around. A little quieter, obviously, when Professor Binns begins the lesson. And I still take notes, no matter what Potter says – what if I _need_ them? I don't think I've said a single insulting word about Potter for half an hour. What has _happened _to me?

I still strongly dislike him, though.

* * *

**A/N Firstly, I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time. The stupid thing called 'real life' gets in the way all the time. Hopefully the time between now and the next chapter will be a lot shorter. I was really surprised by how many reviews I got for the last chapter, thanks a squillion! :) Oh, and to the people who said Lily's name is Evans, not Avins, I know; I was playing with the fact that Professor Binns gets everyone's names wrong. Sorry if that wasn't clear!  
**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and let me know what you thought. **


	3. Friday

3. Friday

I am _never _late for lessons. Never, in my whole school career, have I been late for a lesson. Punctuality is my thing – which is pathetic, I know. But it's the truth. Evidently, though, today my thing has failed me. Otherwise I wouldn't be running down a corridor, panting, with my bag thwacking my side with every step I take. What have I got in there, a couple of bricks?!

I halt outside the classroom door and turn the handle slowly. I slip inside, hoping Professor Binns won't notice me. Luckily, he has his back (do ghosts have backs?) turned to me, and I scan the room for an empty seat.

Huh. That's just typical. The only spare seat happens to be next to James Potter. Luckily, it's right at the back of the room, so I don't have to walk past everyone.

"Well well well," he whispers as I sit down. "Lily Evans? Late?"

"Yes. Is that so surprising?" I reply.

"Erm, yes?" he answers, laughing.

I glare at him. Professor Binns turns back around and doesn't seem to notice that a student has suddenly materialised next to Potter. "Fredric the Fearful was…"

I hastily pull out my equipment so I can take notes, and I see Potter roll his eyes.

"I saved that seat for you, y'know," he says, drumming his quill on the tabletop. "Many, many people tried to sit there, and were extremely upset when I told them to find another seat." I look at him, incredulous that he'd actually say such a thing. "Relax, Lily, I'm joking! But I think Edwina Brown did shed a tear or two – "

"Oh, shut up," I say, laughing in spite of myself.

"I really did save the seat for you," he says seriously. " I thought we shouldn't break tradition."

I raise my eyebrows. "Tradition?"

"Sitting together in this lesson. It's tradition."

"Potter, something has to happen more than twice for it to be tradition," I scoff.

"Why don't we make it tradition, then?"

"Um, because I don't want to."

I'm shocked to realise I've been forgetting to take notes. I unscrew my ink bottle immediately and try to concentrate on what Professor Binns is saying. But it's so _hard _with Potter sitting next to me! I can't ignore him anymore, like I used to. WHY can't I ignore him? It's not like he deserves a response.

"Aw, Lily. How your words hurt me!" He puts his hands over his heart and he says it jokily, but there's something…off. The light-hearted grin that he wears when he's joking, maybe? The mischievous sparkle he usually has in his eye?

Wait. Am I thinking about Potter and…sparkles in his eye? I don't notice sparkles in his eyes! Or absences of them! I don't notice Potter's eyes, full stop. I had enough of this weird-ness on Wednesday. I don't reply and just look at Binns.

"Anyway, Lily. It's my turn to dare you again!"

"Oh, no," I say before I can stop myself. "No way."

"Why?" he asks, sticking out his bottom lip and widening his eyes. "It's my turn!"

"You dared me. Then I dared you. That's it. Over. Finished_._"

"But I want another turn!" he whines, sounding a lot like a five year old child.

"No!"

"Is there something you and Mr Powter would like to share, Miss Avins?" asks Professor Binns.

"No, Professor," I mumble, not bothering to tell him that my surname is in fact EVANS. I've tried that before. He forgets by the next lesson.

"So," Potter says as soon as Professor Binns looks back down at his notes. "I dare you to – "

"I said you don't get another turn!"

"But I want another turn!"

"You've said that before."

"That's because I really mean it."

Urgh. He really isn't going to give up. I suppose that's Potter for you.

"What do I get, if I do it?" I sigh.

He instantly smiles, and says "You get to dare me."

Well. That sounds fair, I suppose. And I'll think of a much better dare than last time; honestly, '_I dare you not to not talk to me for a minute'? _What a waste.

"Fine. What's the dare?" I put my quill down. My notes don't make much sense anyway, so I might as well not bother. _'Fred death pudding 1818'_? What's that supposed to mean? He was killed by pudding?

"I dare you…are you ready?" He grins at me.

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes!"

"And you promise you'll do it, whatever it is?"

That takes me a few seconds longer to answer. What if it's something like…start a food fight at lunch time? Or deface some sort of school property? Oh, I have to do it. Maybe I even _want _to do it, whatever it is. It might be…fun. "Yes. Yes, I'll do whatever it is."

"Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure that you're ready for me to tell you?"

"Potter, if you don't tell me in the next five seconds, then I'm going to – "

"I dare you to kiss me."

Wait. What? WHAT? He dared me to WHAT? WHAT WHAT WHAT? I can't kiss _James Potter! _Even if I want to, a little bit. WHAT?! I don't want to kiss James Potter! I hate/maybe just dislike him! _There's a thin line between love and hate… _NO! There's a big, fat, black line, drawn with a Muggle permanent marker! I mean, look at him! Look at that face! Why would anyone want to kiss him… screw it, I want to kiss him. NO I FREAKING DON'T! He might be funny and sweet at times and charming and cute. But I don't want to _kiss _him!

But… I have to! I said I'd do anything he dared me to do! So I can't _not _do it, I suppose. I don't want to, obviously. But I HAVE to!

Oh. He's waiting for a response.

"Fine. Right here?"

To say Potter looks surprised would be an understatement. He looks like he just saw me sprout wings.

"You…you agree to kiss me?"

"I – I don't – well, I didn't mean – yes. I did. But only because you dared me to, and I said I'd do anything you dared me to do," I hastily added.

"AVINS! POWTER! I am trying to teach a lesson here, but all I can hear is your incessant chatter! Go stand outside and don't speak a word to each other! I will come talk to you when I have finished my lesson, which it seems neither of you are interested in," Binns bellows. "Go on! Out!" he adds when neither Potter or I move.

I push my chair back and walk out of the classroom, and I realise I've been sent outside for the second time in one week. For the second time EVER.

"Well…we don't have an audience anymore," Potter says suggestively when he's shut the classroom door behind him.

"Shush! He said not to talk!"

"Oh, relax. He's practically deaf."

That's true, I suppose. And I have to get this kiss over with. No time like the present.

I take a step closer to Potter, surprising myself. He looks down at me as if he can't believe it's really happening; but then again, neither can I. I take another step towards him and now I'm closer to him than I've ever been. The atmosphere in the corridor changes immediately and my heart is racing.

"It's just…just a dare," I whisper. Am I trying to assure him of that, or myself?

And now I'm putting my hands on his shoulders and he's putting his around my waist, and I'm getting closer and closer to him…and then I'm pressing my lips to his, and putting one hand in his hair, and I feel like the corridor is spinning, and I'm deepening the kiss, and…

And I wonder what the heck I'm doing.

I pull away and put my back against the wall so there's at least a foot between us.

"It was j-just… was just a dare!"

He nods dazedly, and for once in his life I think he has no words.

"Forget it ever happened!" I say quickly. What _was _I doing? Sure, I had to kiss him. But just a quick peck on the lips! "Why didn't you stop, anyway?"

"Me?" he says incredulously. "What about you? You were the one who put your hand in my hair, who held the kiss - what did that mean, Lily?"

"It…nothing! It didn't mean anything! I don't like you, remember?"

I _don't _like him. But you know that cliché…that when you kiss someone, fireworks go off? Yeah. That happened. But that doesn't mean anything, surely?

He doesn't reply, and sits down on the hard stone floor.

"Anyway. It's my turn to dare you now."

Gosh. Why did I say that?

He looks glumly up at me. "Go on then. Pay me back for that stupid kiss that I made you do."

I can't help feeling hurt. Is that what it was to him? A _stupid_ kiss? That was all it was to me, of course. So why do I care? I sit down beside him and he turns to face me.

"Do your worst, Evans," he says, trying to joke. But the sparkle isn't there. Neither is the grin.

"I dare you…are you ready?" I tease, saying exactly what he'd said to me. I don't know what I'm going to dare him to do. Just something small. Silly.

"Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Maybe I'll dare him to blow a kiss at Professor McGonagall.

"Yes!"

"And you promise you'll do it, whatever it is?"

"Yes. Yes, I'll do whatever it is."

"Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure that you're ready for me to tell you?"

He smiles and nods. A real smile, with a twinkle in his eye.

And maybe that's what does it. Maybe that's when I know what I'm going to dare him to do.

"Okay then…if you're sure you're ready," I choke out.

"I'm sure."

"I dare you to kiss me."

He's already kissing me before I finish speaking. He opens his mouth, opening mine with it, and I put my hands back in his hair. Before I can wonder what on earth I'm doing, I move to sit in his lap so I'm straddling him. His lips are so incredibly soft. I bite his bottom lip gently and he puts his hands on my back and pulls me closer. He lays soft, quick kisses on my cheeks, my neck, my nose, my forehead.

As he softly kisses my closed eyelids, I say "It's not just a dare anymore."

"We both know it never was," he whispers as he brings his mouth back to my own.

His lips coax open my mouth once more and this time he slips his tongue into my mouth.

"AVINS! POWTER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Avins and Powter don't listen; they're lost in their own world, and want to stay there just a second longer.

* * *

**A/N There you have it! The last chapter. God knows it took me long enough. It wasn't too fluffy, was it? I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review! :)**


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